Tuesday, May 10, 2011

I'm sure I've said this before, but here I go again: I love my pond! It's my favorite part of my gardens. Even though the waterfall is unfinished (and not even running right now), the water is murky, the weeds are growing around it...it is my heaven.

The most difficult thing about having a pond and koi has been losing fish. There was the giant, fish-eating snake. And the dreaded heron. The snake is gone; the heron is not. The big heron decoy doesn't phase it. I have lost so many of my beautiful koi to it. I'm heartbroken when I remember all those gorgeous fish, so I am trying to enjoy the remaining ones and not think about it too much.

I only have four big koi left.

I will not give in though! I will have a pond of beautiful fish! I'm going to try running a fishing line across the edge of pond where Big Bird does his fishing. Please don't anyone tell me it won't work. I need my little bit of hope.

To restock, I've bought a few koi from ebay. It's my first time buying them online. My local place has closed, so it's my only option. I received the first two today, and they arrived healthy and ready to swim.

8" Doitsu Tancho Sanke

This guy was ready to go and was immediately swimming with the big fish.

5" Chocolate Chagoi Butterfly

I haven't received these three yet. Still waiting to see if I want to bid on one more (just one more!).

7" Kohaku

5" Shusui Butterfly

6" Asagi Butterfly

I wish I could afford to buy bigger fish, but they're just too expensive.

In other ponding news, my little courtyard pond is all cleaned up. I added three little, fancy goldfish to it over the weekend. They seem happy!

Monday, May 9, 2011

It makes me happy that I have found my passion for gardening again. Being outside in my yard is my happiest place. I feel most myself there. Neglecting things for a year (two years, actually) really made for a lot of work, but it's fun uncovering and rediscovering everything. Like the book/movie The Secret Garden!

I spent some of my Mother's Day outside, among my dogs and cats and chicken and fish, planting annuals and tomatoes. Heaven.

My father game me the Planter's Peanut jar (in my wheelbarrow) full of lime years ago. He told me to toss a handful in when I planted a tomato plant. I am down to the bottom the jar now. I can't bear to use it all up. I'll have to save just a bit forever.

The sundial with Hen and Chicks was in my mother's flower garden. It's been sitting in my backyard for the past couple years. Husband and son drug it up to my driveway courtyard for me, and I filled up the empty spaces with new Hen and Chicks. The pointy part of the arrow rusted and broke off. I hope to be able to glue it or somehow reattach it. I love having things from my parents' gardens.